Synthetic Pot-Sniffing K-9 Donated by Father in Honor of Late Son

The new synthetic drug-sniffing addition to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit was welcomed to town Monday, a gift from the father whose son died after smoking synthetic pot two years ago.

K-9 Dakota, a specially trained Springer Spaniel, will be assigned to work in the Douglas County School System, where he will help educate kids about the dangers of drug abuse. K-9 Dakota can detect marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and all types of synthetic drugs.

The dog is believed to be the country’s first K-9 dog trained to sniff out synthetic pot, WSB-TV said in a report.

The dog was donated by Lance Dyer, a Douglas County man whose teenage son Dakota died after smoking synthetic marijuana more than two years ago. Lance Dyer established the Dakota Dyer Foundation, which paid for the dog’s specialized training in Pennsylvania.

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K-9 Dakota is a two year old Springer Spaniel that was born in the Netherlands and imported to the United States by Shallow Creek Kennels, where he underwent extensive training in narcotics detection, the sheriff’s office said in a press release. He arrived in Douglasville Monday afternoon.

Lieutenant John Jewell will be K-9 Dakota’s handler.

WSB reported not long after K-9 Dakota arrived, he went 3 for 3 in tests for detecting synthetic drugs.

“I like to think that as we stand here today, God almighty and my son are looking down and they’re smiling,” Lance Dyer said in the WSB report.

Photo: K-9 Dakota with Lance Dyer. Credit: DCSO Facebook